Latch



Sept. 12, 1939. G. F. NORRIS 2,172,943

LATCH Filed Aug. 24, 1938 1 ill I 1- 1 [N VENTOR 617 F Worr'zls. B Y

TTORNE Y5.

Patented Sept. 12, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LATCH Application August 24, 1938, Serial No. 226,551

2 Claims.

This invention relates to latch members and more particularly to an improved form of fastening mechanism primarily intended for use in connection with washing machine drums, but applicable to drums of any type.

In large commercial washing machines, such as are used in present day laundries, it is customary to provide a drum which is preferably formed of corrosion resistant metal and has the cylinder wall thereof perforated to permit relatively free passage of Water into and out of the drum as the washing operation takes place. It is customary to place the clothes to be laundered interiorly of the drum and to facilitate 15 this, it is usual to provide a door having a configuration substantially similar to one wall of the drum on which it is mounted.

The latch mechanism of the present invention is designed and intended to provide posi- 20 tive and yet at the same time simple means for securing this door in closed position and to provide relatively simple means for unlatching the mechanism to permit free opening of the door.

Many other and further objects, advantages,

25 and features of the invention will become clearly apparent from the following specificationwhen considered in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof.

In the drawing:

30 Figure 1 is a front elevational View intended to illustrate a laundry machine with portions thereof broken away to illustrate the mounting of the door in the drum and the latch mechanism utilized for latching the door in position.

35 Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational View of the improved latch mechanism.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional View taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 further illustrating the one embodiment of the improved 40 latch mechanism.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional View taken substantially on the line 44 of Figure 2 illustrating in detail the mounting of the latch mechanism.

45 While the present invention is applicable for use in connection with doors for drums employed for a great variety of different uses, it is particularly adaptable for use in connection with washing machine drums. Accordingly, for the pur- 50 pose of brevity, the present description of the invention will refer only to its use in connection with the doors of washing machine drums, its application to doors for drums for other uses thereby being made apparent to those skilled in 55 the art.

By reference to the drawing and to the following portion of the specification, it will be readily appreciated that there are certain peculiar problems encountered in the latching of these doors for washing machine drums and the 5 latch mechanisms designed therefor must have certain particular specific characteristics in order that they will be suitable for this purpose.

In the first place, Washing machines of this generic type are subjected to unusually hard usage practically continuously and over relatively long periods of time and it isextremely important that the latch mechanism employed be exceptionally rugged in construction. Secondly, these doors must be rapidly opened and closed and it is, therefore, extremely important that the fastening means provided be extremely simple to operate. Thirdly, it is extremly important that means be provided for locking the door firmly and rigidly in position in order to eliminate any relative sliding movement between the door and the associated parts of the drum as such sliding movements have been found to wear the respective surfaces extremely rapidly and greatly shorten the life of the apparatus generally. 5

It will be readily appreciated from the following that the hereinafter described embodiment of the invention is merely illustrative of one form that the invention may take.

By way of. illustration, a washing machine is more or less diagrammatically illustrated in Figure l of the drawing. The washing machine comprises a generally cylindrical outer shell 5 which outer shell is provided with a door 6 therein which serves to provide access to the interior of the machine in which a hollow drum 1 is mounted. This hollow drum, as is conventional in constructions of this general character, is preferably formed of highly corrosion resistant metal such, for example, as stainless steel and is 4 provided with a door 8 therein through which access may be had to the interior of the drum. Suitable conventional means, not illustrated, are

provided for effecting rotation of the drum in order to cause the agitation necessary for the laundering operation.

While the door 8 may be hingedly mounted with respect to the drum 1, in the particular form of the invention illustrated, the door 8 of the drum is adapted to slide arcuately between suitable guides 9 and II] formed on the head of the drum. This door 8 is preferably made of a single sheet of relatively heavy metal similar in general construction to the wall of the drum and provided with perforations l2 which serve to permit the circulation of water in and out of the drum during the laundering operation.

The door is formed of a segment of a cylinder having the same radius as the drum in order that the door may slide smoothly between the guides 9 and ID from open to closed position and it will be appreciated that, as is conventional in constructions of this general character, guides similar to the guides 9 and ID are provided at the left hand edge of the door as well as at the right hand edge of the door as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3.

In the broader aspects of the invention, the latch member may be moved rectilinearly or along a curved path, but inasmuch as the use of a pivoted latch member provides an extremely satisfactory construction, such is shown by way of illustration only. Accordingly, the guide members 9 and ID are recessed to provide an arcuate slot l3 and the marginal edges of the door are similarly recessed to provide a slot [4 which, when the door 8 is in closed position, will register with the slot [3 to provide a continuous arcuate elongated aperture.

The latch mechanism includes a pivotally mounted supporting plate l5 which may be conveniently mounted for pivotal movement by means of a pivot bolt It. This supporting plate [5 has a stud l'l anchored thereto which stud is adapted to project through the slot formed by the recesses or notches I3 and I4.

It will be appreciated that the pivot bolt 16 is positioned with respect to the arcuate slot formed by the notches l3 and 14 so that as the support plate It: is swung about its pivot, the stud may be moved from a position in the base of the slot M to a position in the base of the slot I3, both of these positions of the supporting plate being illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 2 of the drawing. The stud is provided with a wing or other nut [8 which serves to lock the latch members in position when desired.

The operation of the device is substantially as follows. When the door is moved to closed position, the notch M will register with the notch l3 and the stud I? may be swung from its position in the base of the slot l3 into the position in the base of the slot l4, thus positively anchoring the door member against sliding movement in either direction. The wing nut 18 may then be screwed down thereby positively locking the door member with respect to the drum and precluding any relative movement of these members with respect to each other. When it is desired to open the door, it is merely necessary to loosen thewing nut and the supporting plate and stud may be swung arcuately in order to seat the stud in the base of the slot [3 thus permitting the door to be freely slid back to open position.

It will be readily appreciated from the foregoing that the latch mechanism described above serves to anchor the door member precisely and positively in position and relies not only upon the frictional grip provided by the wing nut but also obtains the positive locking action of the stud I1 seated in the base of the slot l4, thus positively preventing any relative sliding movement between the door and the drum in which it is mounted. The above advantages and features are particularly important in that they add greatly to the life of the associated parts and insure positive locking of the door in position when desired.

It will be readily obvious from the foregoing that the latch mechanism of the generic type illustrated in the drawings may easily and conveniently be mounted either on the body of the drum, as shown, or upon the door, in which latter event the door would be locked in predetermined position with respect to the drum. Similarly, it will be appreciated that the advantageous results obtained can equally well be obtained in a construction in which the door member is hingedly mounted with respect to the drum in which event a piano hinge would be utilized for securing the upper marginal edge of the door member to the drum proper.

Many other and further modifications of the invention, falling within the scope of the invention as defined in the subjoined claims, will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. In a washing machine or the like having a drum with an opening therein and a door for closing the opening in said drum, said drum. having an arcuate notch therein communicating'with said opening, said door also having an arcuate. notch, adapted when said door is in closed position to communicate with said first mentioned notch whereby said notches together serve to form a generally arcuate slot, 2. pivotally mounted member having a stud extending through said slot whereby when said member is swung about its pivot said stud will move arcuately from one end of said slot to the other and means on said stud for drawing the member and door together in clamping relation when the stud is in the door notch.

2. In a washing machine or the like having a drum with an opening therein and a door for closing the opening in said drum, said drum having an arcuate notch therein communicating with I said owning, said door also having an arcuate notch adapted when said door is in closed posiwill move arcuately from one end of said slot to the other, and means on said stud for drawing the member and door together in clamping relation when the stud is in the door notch.

GUY F. NORRIS. 

